Modern technologies have built a great basis for the successful development of eCommerce business. It is more than easy to start selling online: just log in to ANY commercial or social platform and start the show. Did I mention that even Facebook and Instagram have actually become great tools for promoting and selling goods online? They are. And the main point now is to choose the best tool that fits your sales strategy and needs exactly.
It’s common knowledge that Shopify is one of the best eCommerce platforms for running a business. Although, each software web tool has its advantages and disadvantages. And Shopify is no exception. Along with the great functionality and enormous amount of useful features, Shopify has received a variety of feedback. This is why it is necessary to find Shopify alternatives.
Content:
- How to find the right alternative to Shopify: comparison of popular platforms for small business
- eCommerce platforms other than Shopify: comparison of tools with advanced functionality
- Comparison of the Shopify-like platforms: the conclusion
Take note, if you haven’t tried Shopify yet, the platform gives a 14-day trial. As experience shows, this period of time is quite enough to understand if the platform fits your business needs well.
All the eCommerce platforms, starting with Shopify, offer almost identical tools and alternatives for your online business. But each of these is oriented to a certain kind of sales and company size. Ok, let’s stop beating around the bush. The first step to making the right choice of eCommerce business platform is understanding what tasks need to be fulfilled by the tool.
How to find the right alternative to Shopify: comparison of popular platforms for small business
Small web businesses occupy social media accounts and some websites completely. Handmade lingerie of unbelievable quality, jewelry, t-shirts with funny slogans, Christmas decorations and so on and so on… This all needs to be sold, it’s all too good not to be seen by potential customers. And the eCommerce newcomer needs to use a software solution that will help with the hard task of selling on the World Wide Web.
Small web businesses occupy social media accounts and some websites completely. Handmade lingerie of unbelievable quality, jewelry, t-shirts with funny slogans, Christmas decorations and so on and so on…
This all needs to be sold, it’s all too good not to be seen by potential customers. And the eCommerce newcomer needs to use a software solution that will help with the hard task of selling on the World Wide Web.Also, If you took a 14-day test drive of Shopify’s features and decided, that it’s too much for your small online store, you should read the information below.Shopify competitors for small business are presented by Wix and Weebly.
1. Wix eCommerce – drag and drop to build a web store
This eCommerce platform is famous thanks to its extremely simple functionality. The retailer can create an online shop with any content using just drag and drop. As it is completely easy to understand, no technical skills are required to manage this web tool. The platform allows dynamic development of an online business and reliable SEO tools, so one can be sure that their sales will grow.Wix covers only the BASIC functionality of your web store. This is not a high-level advanced tool; this is just a simple platform to start selling. The platform greatly supports its users, and new features appear constantly.
Main features of Wix eCommerce:Main features of Wix eCommerce:
- Super easy to use
- 24/7 support
- No technical complications: basic features implemented by simple actions
2. Weebly eCommerce – small e-businesses closest friend
If you do not need extended functionality and extra flexibility for your web store pages, Weebly is another tool that could fulfill your tasks well.This web software solution has even fewer features than Wix, but it’s the most user-oriented sales platform on the modern market. You won’t need to worry about a lack of technical skills at all, because you don’t need them when selling online with Weebly. Thanks to the intuitive design of the platform, you need only a couple of minutes to create a store that works and sells.
Main features of Weebly eCommerce:
- User-friendly design
- Simple functionality
- Basic features are free to use
Wix and Weebly are perfect Shopify-like tools for those web owners who are looking for market competitors, don’t have any coding skills and need the simplest features for a small number of customers. But if you are the owner of a large retail company, we have something more to talk about.
eCommerce platforms other than Shopify: comparison of tools with advanced functionality
Large eCommerce companies need web software support as well. And the bigger the business is, the harder it gets to find a platform that handles all of its needs. Yeah, Shopify might still be a good platform for the task. But what if it’s not?
Lots of the necessary tools and a high level of flexibility are given by lots of the available eCommerce platforms, but let’s review the biggest ones: BigCommerce, WooCommerce and Magento.
1. BigCommerce – the big brother of the big business
BigCommerce is the one solution for any amount of business tasks. You can still use it even without any technical skills. BigCommerce does it all for you (but you should know that coding skills would help you in creating the best shop possible). The platform is reliable and safe. The list of retailer tasks includes only posting the content and connecting the payment service. After that, sales start immediately. This is one of the best platforms for growing a business.
Main features of BigCommerce:
- Hosted eCommerce builder
- High level of security
- Support team that is always there for you
2. WooCommerce: build your web store on WordPress
WooCommerce is a powerful tool to perform eCommerce business processes. Your web store would be built on the WordPress platform featured by WooCommerce. This tool claims to support over 29% of the world’s online stores. And this number means a lot, even when thinking about Shopify and drawing a comparison table. Thanks to its simple interface, WooCommerce attracts new users and makes them stay because of its cool functionality. This tool is not as easy to use in comparison to Shopify: the help of a software developer would be necessary to start running a business with WooCommerce, as well as support it properly.
Main Features of WooCommerce:
- Operating WordPress
- Open source platform
- Nice design along with powerful features
3. Magento
The Magento eCommerce platform is a great software tool for big enterprise business. It’s the perfect choice for big business owners, but like WooCommerce, it requires a strong technical background and coding skills, so either you code by yourself, or you hire a programmer to fulfill the essential tasks. Magento is really popular and useful because of its amazing flexibility and advanced features, which make it possible to build an unbelievable website. It is powerful and helpful, but it is not recommended to try Magento without the necessary coding abilities.
Main features of Magento:
- Open source platform
- Requires high level technical actions to be performed
- Does not provide continuous support
BigCommerce and WooCommerce are able to provide you with the best possibilities to grow your business fast; these are nice choices for intensively developing companies or startups. Magento is a platform that fits enterprise business the best.
Comparison of the Shopify-like platforms: the conclusion
This short review includes all of the essential facts that are able to help you in making a choice of your new, reliable friend in the eCommerce space, and make comparisons to Shopify. The Wix and Weebly platforms are incredibly easy to use and provide the basic features to start selling online or create a small company. High level tools like BigCommerce, WooCommerce or Magento provide the best functionality possible on the modern market. But extended features require more time and skills, so it is not easy to work with those tools.
Good luck with your new site, and let your sales skyrocket!
